This invention relates in general to the handling of mail and, in particular, to a feeder module for use in an improved forwarding address system for use with mail sorting machines.
The volume of mail handled daily by large businesses, institutions and governmental entities has steadily increased through the years. For example, credit card companies, utilities, mail order houses and other advertisers send and receive huge quantities of mail daily. Typically, the envelopes containing the material to be mailed are addressed and then sorted into common groups for mailing. Similarly, mail received by such entities is commonly sorted into groups based the subject matter of the received material. A third category of such envelopes are the returned mail category the creation of which is primarily due to the addressee having moved from a particular address resulting in the envelope being undeliverable. The present invention relates to a feeder module for individually separating documents or envelopes and feeding them to further areas in a larger system. One such system where the present invention can be utilized is directed to the solution of this wrong address problem, namely, the correction of the address by application of a secondary label to the envelope with the correct forwarding address that will permit its proper delivery.
Several different types of machines have been developed to assist in the handling of such mail, other than manual review and correction by the individual mail carrier. These prior art devices typically comprised an envelope feeder, a read station, a selection of label station where a supply of labels permitted selection of an appropriate label and its application to an envelope, and a sorting and storage means.
None of these prior art machines and systems proved satisfactory since they were large unwieldy machines that required not only a large amount of space but also required frequent replenishment of a vast array of pre-printed label supplies and applicating equipment.
The present invention relates to a feeder module having a unique envelope feeder apparatus wherein incoming envelopes are separated from each other and delivered to a transport module both of which are part of a unique computer-operator controlled system with a plurality of unique stations that are suitable for use with conventional mail sorting machines. The transport module moves the envelope or document through a plurality of read stations that are provided with a single visual reporting means and input keyboard means tied to a main computer data source for use and control by an operator. Observation of indicia by the operator and selective input into the keyboard means results in an electable response being presented for use by the operator, the elected information then being sent to a print module for use in creation of an appropriate corrective label.
The feeder module utilizing the teaching of the present invention includes means whereby a stack of envelopes or documents are maintained in an upright edgewise orientation and are fanned outwardly from one another to permit movement of individual envelopes, regardless of thickness, into the nip of the shifting rollers located at one end of the feeder module for lateral movement to the next station. By having the feeder module extending outwardly perpendicular to the balance of the machine the operator can be positioned adjacent to it and readily handle any problems, if any, that might arise at his elbow.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a feeder module of the type contemplated that will reliably operate over extended time parameters with minimal down times, as well as being relatively simple and economical to construct and operate.
Other and further objects of this invention, together with all of the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description.